Just in the past two weeks, the incidence of sea star wasting syndrome has exploded along the Oregon Coast and created an epidemic of historic magnitude, one that threatens to decimate the entire population of purple ochre sea stars.

The California current runs north to south along the West Coast of the United States. This current has huge impacts on the weather along the west coast. Along California this current is responsible for extensive Marine Fog layers every day during the summer, especially when the land is warmer than the waters along the coast. Also in the California area this current keeps the coastal cities cooler such as San Diego. In the Northwest along the coast of Seattle this current is responsible for...

Brodiaea coronaria or Crown Brodiaea is indigenous to the west coast of North America growing in mountains and prairies. Blooming perennially this herb sprouts from a corm and produces tall flowers reaching nearly 10 inches in height with small stems bearing blooms that are similar to lilies. Each tubular flower opens into a corolla of six lobes each just over one inch in length boast a bright purple coloring along with three centrally located stamens and satminodes.

The Peruvian Pelican (Pelecanus thagus) is a member of the pelican family which lives on the west coast of South America, from Lobos de Tierra Island in Peru to Pupuya Islet in Chile.
These birds are dark in color with a white stripe from the top of the bill, up to the crown and down the sides of the neck. Also, they have tufted feathers on the top of their heads.
The main breeding season occurs from September to March. Females usually lay two or three eggs which are incubated for...

The Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) is a large sparrow and the sole member of the genus Passerella.
Adults of this bird are heavily spotted and streaked underneath. In eastern and northern birds, the upper parts, wings, rump and tail are rusty and the underparts are white with streaks rusty to dark brown. Western birds have dark brown upperparts and dark brown streaks underneath. In some regions, western birds may have grey on the head and back.
Their breeding habitat is wooded areas...

A pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction.